dust settles

In my last post I showed photos of the house, and the photo of the back shows the exterior stair, although it is hidden by the vine. The other day this iguana was on the stair outside my back door. Seemed quite friendly, my presence did not seem to spook him/her. Their tails are as long as their torsos, so this one was about 2 feet long.

As I think I have mentioned before, the last 23 miles to Placencia is a dirt road, but after years of saying they would do it, the government is finally paving it. That means they are rebuilding it, with a series of mysterious levels of different types and mixes of gravel, before they finally put down liquid tar and a final coating of gravel. Different section are at different levels, and there doesn't seem to be a logical sequence to them. These mixes of gravel have a lot of fine materials in them, and in spite of the trucks that water the road, great clouds of dust, more than ever before, rise from the road with every passing vehicle. Although we are quite a distance from the road, the prevailing wind carries rhe dust to us, where it settles over everthing. I keep my computer closed when not in use, a cover on my printer, and a cover on my stereo equipment.

Today, Saturday, the power was out for about 8 hours through the heat of the day, I suspect because they had to reset some poles. I've lazed around, practiced my piano, finished one book and started another, and generally tried to stay cool by finding the breeze in the shadows.

It will be WONDERFUL when they finish paving the road!

catching up

Now that I've posted the full travel adventure, it's time to show you where I am and what I am doing, at least for the time being. I am living in a two-room apartment in my step-son's house, a space that is a mixed blessing, as I shall relate. But first, let's look at some photos. This first one was taken looking out his driveway from a point about 80 feet in front of the house.

Here I turned around and took a picture of the front of the house. On the first floor the windows starting on the left are for a bathroom, then a bedroom, then a window and double doors that open into a living and kitchen area with a bar that separates them, then another window to that area, a kitchen window, and a laundry room window.

On the second floor, the two windows on the left are for a bedroom, the glass blocks provide light for a circular stair between the floors, and then the opening is for an open patio through the house, which is one of the primary features from my perspective. Finally the two windows on the right are for my bedroom/office space.

This photo below is of the back of the house. To the far left is a stair case that gives me a private entrance, and also leads up to the roof, which has a 4 foot wall around the perimeter. It is a wonderful place to go at night when the sky is clear, the number of stars you can see is incredible! On the first floor the window on the left is to a dining area, in the middle there is a patio with a lattice over it that vines have grown onto and on the right the windows are to the master bedroom. Double doors open onto the patio, so when the doors on both sides are open, a breeze sweeps through the first level.

On the second floor the window on the left is to my living/kitchen area, followed by the roofed patio, which is the coolest place to be with the near constant breeze off the Caribbean, and then another bedroom. I should note that the vine(s) growing up the stair case are about 3 years old!

Just to the north of the property is Seine Bight village, which is a Garifuna (google it) settlement marked by poverty. Not so much poverty that someone nearby has a very loud stereo set and a favorite CD that he plays so loud that there is no point playing music oneself. He also hasn't played it before 7 AM or after 10PM, so far. And it isn't all the time, but when it is, it's LOUD. The first night a dog saw something that spooked it, and started barking at about 4:30 AM, which got all the other dogs barking, and in my dazed state, it seemed to go on forever. However, a lot has changed there in the last few years, and there is now a wonderful vegetable market, the best on the peninsula.

This photo below includes the Austrian Restaurant that was built in the last year on the edge of Seine Bight. It's owned by a young couple who live on the second floor. The bus in the picture is on the main road which has always been dirt except in the villages, but the government is rebuilding it and will pave it soon. In the meanwhile great clouds of dust (you can see some behind the bus) rise off the road and blow toward out house. When not in use, I cover my electronics to protect them from the dust.

These last two pictures are from the roof, looking first own the driveway, so you can see the relationship to the restaurant, and second from the back of the house toward the basin that was created, and then the Placencia lagoon beyond the mangroves. Spectacular sunsets are the norm. Placencia Peninsula is a 15 mile long peninsula that runs parallel to the coast, so there is a long lagoon.

That' all for today, next I'll tell you about what I've been up to! When I get my pallets that I shipped to myself, and am more settled, I'll take some inside photos as well!

Settling In...

For those of you following this adventure, I've just posted the rest of the trip through Mexico. I encourage you to read from Day 19 onward to get the full flavor. If I remember other things that happened, or observations, I'll record them here in my daily musings.

Little time to write now, I've emptied the truck and unpacked most things, but am concerned where I'll put the stuff that is on the two pallets I shipped to myself, and that will arrive next week, I hope. They contain some critical items I'm anxious to have. I'll be taking photos of my living environment, and will share the adventure of starting life anew.

I now have a Belize cell phone - 501-670-1255!

Day 22 - The journey ends!

Got up early, went back to the truck yard and retrieved our trucks, and headed to the border. I had to wait to connect with my broker’s man, because I had had to make a 4000 pesos ($285) deposit before entering Mexico, and he was to refund it to me. He did. I was topped by Mexican customs, and had to wait for an official to come look at my load to see if matched the manifest that the broker had prepared for me to enter Mexico. They want to be sure as a ‘transmigrante” you don’t sell or leave behind what you have taken into Mexico duty free. (I suppose I could have sold the TV!) Finally got through Mexican customs, crossed the bridge into Belize and stopped to buy Belize auto insurance. Continued on past the Princess Hotel/Casino and the free trade zone to the cargo entrance and the agricultural spray man. That had happened in Mexico as well – they spray the lower and underside of your vehicle for insects. Then to the parking booth attendant – trucks entering and waiting for their loads to be inspected have to pay a parking fee. I had turned off the engine while I did the transaction. Got back in the truck, and it didn’t start. I was blocking trucks wanting to enter, and blocking trucks that had dropped trailers, and wanted to exit.
Seemed like a battery connection issue, so I got out my bag of tools, cleaned the battery connections and was back in business. Proceeded to the parking lot and connected with my Belize broker. He went and saw an official. Then I showed the list, including the truck, trailer and boat, and contents therein to another official. He assigned a total value, for which I would pay 32% duty. Then he took me to see another official in the building up the hill by the tourist entrance. I passed through the immigration folks, entering as a tourist. Went upstairs to see another official, and appealed the decision of the first official. The truck is not worth the blue book value, the right rear fender is bent in and the bumper is bent up as a result of the tire falling off. He adjusted the value down. I thanked him, went back to the cargo entrance building, and took some stuff out of the truck so it could be inspected/verified, and waited for an official to come take a look. And waited. And waited. Eventually she came, took a quick look and I loaded the stuff back in the truck and waited. And waited. While the broker did his job. Finally got a final number, which, including assorted fees, including the brokers, and an “inspection” fee, which came to a total of $4100 BZD, which is $2050 USD. Had to be paid in BZD. I did not have that much with me, can they take a check? Customs couldn’t, but my broker knew an Indian (Asian) in Corozal, the nearby Belizian town, who could, so off we went. I wrote him a blank check for $2050, and he gave me $4100. Went back to the cargo customs center, and the broker paid who needed to be paid for whatever reason. (Take liberties to read between the lines here.)
Meanwhile, I went to the chainlink fence outside the customs building, and traded through the fence my extra pesos for BZD. It was at the going exchange rate, so I’m not sure how the several vendors there make money.
By then the broker had done his part, it was 1:30 PM, and I was on the road! Soon after, I took a wrong turn in Libertad, but soon found my way back to the proper route, and was on my way. Passed big sugar cane fields, and a sugar plant spewing great quantities of black smoke that seemed incongruous. Passed big orange groves in bloom, and smelling wonderful. The road through the mountains south of Belmopan is quite beautiful, an appreciation hampered only by my dwindling fuel supply. I stopped opposite the gate at an orange processing plant, and a worker told me (in English!) that the next gas was 6 miles further. I was home free! Gassed up, and by this time it was getting dark, but I continued on my way, because I knew the roads.
Although the last 23 miles to Placencia are dirt, they are working on it, and it isn’t at its worst. So with a slightly better surface, and a high level of impatience for the journey to end, I traveled at about 20 MPH down the dusty road, having to stop when the 4 or 5 vehicles approaching me passed, to allow the dust to settle enough to be able to see where I was going. Arrived in the dooryard, 4272 miles from the start, at about 9 PM, and daughter-in-law Rilda had a fine dinner of local fish ready for me. I was home!

Day 21 - Day 3 in Mexico

In the morning David headed off to find studs for the wheel, and I had a chance to see where I was in daylight. Beautiful fields with cattle grazing on my side of the road. I got out my good camera and took a few photos, shown here:

People (probably a dozen in all) came out of nowhere to take buses into town. Several came down the road to the bus stop, others crossed over from the village. I took the pictures above and below from the pedestrian walkway. There were cowboys in a far field, too distant to photograph.

A dog came sauntering down the side of the road, crossed over and walked along the barrier in the middle. I was sure she would be killed and couldn’t look, but she wasn’t. Don’t know where she went. Farm tractor came down the road, and turned at an opening in the median half a mile or so down. Meanwhile, traffic barrels past at 60 MPH +.

David got back with the studs at about 10, repaired the truck, and we were off again. As stated earlier, I was blessed, my worst fears were not realized. We pushed hard for the border, which closes for cargo traffic at 4, but did not make the 350 miles by then. The 350 miles were a mix of expressway and 3-lane, with quite a bit of construction thrown into the mix. There was very little traffic – the Guatemala traffic had turned of in Villahermosa, and the traffic for the upper Yucatan peninsula headed north there as well, or at Escarcega. From there onward it was traffic either for Belize, or Chetumal, Mexico.

We arrived at the border entrance at about 6 PM, parked our trucks in a yard that a private individual has where trucks park while waiting for the border to open. It’s fenced and watched over at night. Took a cab a short ride to a hotel a little closer to the border, took showers, and not finding a good restaurant David knew open nearby, took a cab into Chetumal and had dinner in a restaurant that caters to tourists. Cab ride was 9 miles, was 60 pesos, or about $4.35 US. David was still wearing his tee shirt from the night before, but we couldn’t find a tee shirt vendor, so hailed a cab back to the hotel, and got a good nights sleep.

Day 20 - An eventful one in Mexico

Got up and got going, I was glad my milk and OJ hadn’t soured, so I had some Wheat Chex I had brought for breakfast because nothing was open when we got started. In a about 100 miles we got onto an expressway, and for the rest of the day we were on those good toll roads. The road passed through some lowlands south of Veracruz where I saw some horses and cattle grazing – and standing in water up to their knees. It was disconcerting. We stopped outside Villahermosa to eat and decide if to push late and try to get to Escarcega, the next town with good hotels. I was glad we stopped and ate.

We were back on the road at about 8 PM, and at about 8:30, BAM! The left tire on my trailer blew out. Very fortunately I was on an expressway which has a shoulder, and I was able to pull off so the wheel wasn’t in a travel lane. I was glad that after the trailer axle broke in Mass. I had purchased a reflective triangle and some road flares. David did not see my flashing headlights in his rear view mirror, and was through the toll booth about a kilometer away, and over a rise, before he noticed I wasn’t there. I was glad I had multiple mounted spares for the trailer, and put one on the trailer without being killed by the traffic rushing past. Got going, and met up with David again just past the tollbooth. We were off again.

Half an hour later BANG! The right had side of my truck dropped down and I quickly pulled to the side of the highway while flashing my headlights madly in hopes David would see me. Got out and looked with my flashlight, since by now it was 9:30, and my tire and rim were gone. Wheel had dropped to the pavement, and the brake assembly had been torn away. I thought; “Oh, shit,” . This was a big problem, beyond David’s ability to help. I faced a day or more of dealing with a mechanic I would have to find, struggling to communicate. Was my truck dead? What about the boat? What to do, what to do.
David had seen my signal early, pulled over and walked back to see what the issue was. He recognized right away that the studs in the wheel had sheared off. So the solution was to replace them. Using his 8 ton hydraulic jack and my truck jack we got it jacked up out of the gravel.
Again, I was grateful that in my truck, and accessible, I had wrenches, hammers and punches, and even a can of washers and screws. I even had a big spotlight in the boat to provide good light. We (David) needed them all. He punched out the stud studs, and now had a sample for sizing. By now it was 10;30 or later. He went back to his truck and headed off to see if he could find a mechanic or shop open that had studs.
I then went looking for my rim & tire, and pieces of my brake assembly. The tire had rolled across the highway and was up against the center barrier, with part of it in the passing lane. I retrieved it, grateful once again that it was not in the middle of the road where a truck or car would have swerved to avoid it and crashed in to me or the boat. I noticed I was right at a pedestrian overpass over the highway, and that there was a bus waiting shelter 100 yards behind me. There were a few lights in a village on the other side of the highway, but no signs of life. Best to stay put. I set out the reflective triangle, got in the cab of my truck and waited.
David got back about midnight, no luck. We spent the night sleeping in our trucks. The passenger side of his cab was as full of stuff as mine. This was definitely a step down from the hotel the night before. I was grateful I had brought my pillow, and it was accessible in the back of the truck. The boat was too full of stuff to sleep in. Trucks roared by through the night, one of them so close it destroyed the triangle I had set out on the white line on the edge of the road. Again, got an estimated 4 hours of interrupted sleep. Was glad I was so tired from the night before.

Day 19 - day 2 in Mexico

Sunday was a pleasant day without tire or mechanical problems. I really liked the countryside we passed through, it reminded me of pictures I’ve seen of the savannah in Africa. When we had first entered Mexico there were very big truck farms like I had seen in Texas, and gradually they gave way to ranches with cattle – a sight I saw for the rest of the trip. The ranches are managed by Mexican cowboys – the real thing. I saw no ATVs on the ranches, but many men on horses working the cattle. Because I was following David, and did not want to lose him, I tried taking photos with my little point and shoot camera through my windshield, but none of the photos do the scale of the landscape, or the ranching activity, justice. We covered about 450 miles, quite an accomplishment because much of it was over primary highways that went through villages, and not expressways.
Every village had at least two speed bumps, which have to be taken very slowly. In every case there would be enterprising people standing in the middle of the road offering peeled oranges, or bottles of orange drink, or some fruit I did not recognize to those passing through. Interestingly, I see none of that in Belize, although the villages the roads pass through aren’t as densely settled as they are in Mexico.
In some towns there were many, many fruit stands selling big bags of oranges or other fruit. What was odd was that it appeared everyone was selling the same thing, so I’m not sure how they fared with so much competition. We’re talking 40 +/- stands. Here’s a photo of one out in the country as I drove by.
We travelled over three basic types of roads. The best were the toll roads, which were two lanes in each direction, with fairly limited access. For the most part these roads had comparatively (to other Mexican roads) smooth surfaces. Here’s a picture of one.

The next step down were roads that were about 3 lanes wide. In each direction there were 1-½ lanes, and if a car or truck wanted to pass you, or if there was a car passing another and approaching you, you just move over into the ½ outside lane. These roads were less smooth than the expressways, which are toll roads, and better than the local highways. Here’s a picture of one:

The roads that were the harriest to drive on were what I will call here the local highways. These roads are major intertown highways, but were one lane in each direction, and narrow to boot. They have no shoulders, and are built so that they are 15 to 25 feet above the surrounding landscape in the towns they pass through, and less so in less settled areas. I could not take a picture, I had to steer with both hands to avoid falling off the road. In settled areas where they were at the surrounding grade, they had speed bumps that make the Stevens Ave bumps wimpy. We drove until 9 or 10 that night, and passed one bad car accident and one overturned 18 wheeler on that type of road after dark.

I think Mexico has variations of paving machines that create bumps in the roads. When you are towing a trailer, you are very aware of bumps because of the effect on the ride, and these local roads were very bumpy. We travelled over some fairly recently paved roads, and they had bumps. I nearly lost control more than once, the remedy being to brake moderately to stop the swinging motion. We only travelled on the main roads, there were many paved and dirt roads leading off our route.

We finally stopped at a hotel in Monte Gordo, which is about 40 miles south of Poza Rica. The village was full of trucks that had stopped for the night, but I think the drivers were sleeping in their trucks because I think we were the only occupants of the hotel besides the owner, whose room was 3 doors from ours. Like the other hotels we stayed at, the beds were actually like low concrete tables with mattresses on them. But the room was clean, and we had a bathroom/shower. At that hotel there was no lip to contain the shower water in the shower area, and because the drain did not work faster than the shower, it resulted in a major puddle in the bathroom.

It was hard sleeping there that night because there was a speed bump right in front of the hotel. Trucks that did not stop for the night would use their engines to break through multiple gears as they approached the bump, and then power up again through multiple gears. The rooms were basic concrete, there was no sound deadening material anywhere, so the sound seemed amplified. I might have gotten 4 hours of good sleep.

A lifetime of living in Maine and only receiving information about the Mexican people from the US media did not prepare me for what I observed. The media makes you think that everyone on Mexico is in abject poverty, and wants to come to the US, if they haven’t already. Lately, the media has given the impression of open warfare along the border. Both are wrong. The presence of soldiers, and even the roadblocks, was reassuring, we never paid any bribes or received indications we were expected to. Almost all the cars I saw on the highways were late model cars, primarily Japanese brands, although it was fun seeing the VW beetles that are still being made in Mexico. My truck was probably one of the oldest on the road, which may mean the bumpy Mexican roads are a way to wear out vehicles faster. I saw lots of people working. I understand Mexico has the 12th largest economy in the world, and like the US, it has its poor and indigent, who look to the US for opportunity. But I saw happy people working and enjoying various levels of prosperity.
And so went day 19 – day 2 in Mexico.

Day 18 - first day in Mexico

You may have noticed that there are two Day 17s on this blog – I didn’t realize that the Saturday I entered Mexico was the 18th day of the trip. Although I posted that day, it was a hurried posting at a computer in the lobby of the hotel we stayed at. You may have noticed some punctuation issues in that posting – the keyboard was a Spanish keyboard, and the punctuation keys were different!
As related earlier, it was a fairly frustrating experience getting to the border because of issues I didn’t fully understand because my broker didn’t speak very fluent English and/or wasn’t very communicative. I just know that all of a sudden he said I had to get to the border right away to get in line, and even led me there. Said they would bring the final paperwork to me in line. It turned out that the US officials only work at the cargo entrance until noon on Saturday.
The line itself was fascinating. It was almost entirely made up of vehicles pulling other vehicles. In many cases they were the worse for wear, cars especially appeared to have been in accidents. I have since learned that folks from throughout Central America will come to the US to buy these cars and trucks, and when they take them back to their home countries the duties are less because they are wrecks. They repair/rebuild them for resale. This is less true of the larger trucks, although they are still well used. Here are photos of small pickups towing small pickups, big dumptrucks towing big dumptrucks, with cars in the beds of both trucks, and a truck cab hauling 4 additional truck cabs.

I’ve heard that there have been some issues in the US about Mexican trucks and drivers. I found that their trucks appeared to be as new as trucks generally are in the US, and I believe the drivers are perhaps more skilled because they have to drive on primary roads that are quite narrow in some cases. There are double bottom trucks as well, but in Mexico they are two long trailers, not two short ones as in the US. Here’s a photo of one in the yard at Belize customs. I watched the driver back these trailers into that spot and it was amazing. At any rate, as related earlier, I met David as we both went through the process of having US customs make sure our vehicles weren’t stolen, and the Mexican customs making sure we did not take contraband into Mexico. Although I had multiple items that might not pass muster, the only thing that interested them was my LCD flat screen TV, which I had to pay them the equivalent of $30 for duty. Even that was frustrating – first the customs official was not at his post, and after he finally showed up, I then had to go to the cashier, in another building. The cashier wasn’t there, and after a while I went back to the customs official and he took my money, stamped the papers, and sent me back to the official at the gate who had other papers I would need to show elsewhere, especially when I exited.
There were probably 30 to 40 soldiers at this border point. They had pickup with machine guns mounted on the tops of the cabs, and many were carrying automatic weapons. They were checking the autos and smaller trucks entering through the tourist entrance, primarily for guns.
We finally got through customs and on our way at about 2 PM. We had not gotten 20 miles before being stopped by local police, who were concerned about the chemical David was hauling. Here is a photo of his rig, and another of David, standing in front of my truck.

The chemical was a dark green color, and fairly thick. It is used to make a foam to fill tires so they do not go flat, and carries toxic warnings. Because he knows Spanish, he talked with them, and after half an hour, they let us go. This happened several times over the first couple of days. Because I always pulled up behind him, when they came to me I would say, “No habla espanol”. They would check my passport and truck title, and that would be it. (Later in the trip David started pretending to not know Spanish, and the police stops became much quicker.)
An hour or so later we had our first flats (in Mexico). David had had a flat on his trailer in Texas, so had no spare. Now the rear passenger side tire on his truck blew out. We mounted his spare, and fortunately my tire wrench fit his lug nuts, because the wrench in his truck didn’t. After replacing it with his spare we went a few miles and pulled into a place that we thought might have tires. They didn’t, but while David was making the inquiry, the right rear tire on my truck went flat. So we replaced it with my spare. At this point neither of us had spares, although I had spare tires that were not mounted. Where we stopped had no tires, but continuing down the road we came to a restaurant + where they brought out a tire that would fit David’s rim. The mechanic was working on the engine of someone’s car, and did not have time to mount it. Further down the road we saw a welcome tire mounted in the dirt so it would stand up, with the word “VULCAN” painted on it. Mexico does not allow people to bring more than one spare tire in to the country (although I did), and there is a cottage industry of individuals along the highway who will mount tires. They usually have a pile of used tires in the yard. We stopped at the first one we came to, and at the direction of the wife with a truck horn we called her husband in from a wooded field where he had been watering his burro. Husband and son hustled back, and using very rudimentary had tools like hammers and bars, changed both our tires. David’s did not hold air, so had to be dismounted, patched and remounted. No such thing as wheel balancing. Below is a photo of the tire man working on a tire, with his pile of tires in the foreground. Total charge: 50 pesos, which is the equivalent of $3.58 US.

Because David had only slept two hours the previous night, we stopped at a hotel he knew in San Fernando de Presas, had dinner, and went to bed. That’s when I posted the Day 17 below, relating how I had met him. I ended that posting with “I feel blessed”, and I can tell you with great certainty that I was blessed. That’s enough for this posting, Day 19 next.

Day 23 - from Placencia, Belize!

Whew! Arrived last night at 8 PM! Much to write about the adventure of driving the length of Mexico. That country is not at all what the US media presents it as - it is not like Iraq! My Mennonite friend, David, was of invaluable assistance to me getting through Mexico, and fortunately, I was of assistance to him. He is one of 17 kids in his family, has 8 brothers and 8 sisters. Now 32, he started working at age 14, is extremely resourceful, and you could not meet a nicer person.

I write this sitting at a desk in Bradley's office. For those reading this that don't know the name, Bradley is a step-son who has been in Belize for 15 or so years, and is involved in property management, development and sales. Although we haven't talked details yet, I will probably be doing bookkeeping for him and who knows what else.

Last night I went up on the roof to view the millions of stars visible in the clear night sky. Then to bed on top of the bed, the ceiling fans creating a cooling breeze. Woke first at 4:30 to the dogs barking in the nearby village, and then at 6:00 to the sounds of the world waking up and getting started. I will have to adjust my sleeping schedule to this new reality! Still, better than the night spent sleeping in the cab of my truck on the side of the freeway in Mexico!

There is much to write about the adventure following Brownsville, and what I propose to do is create postings for each day of the trip, accompanied by general observations about various aspects of the country, and photos. I would really like to go back, without the boat in tow, with a working knowledge of Spanish, and with my camera. Someday I will.

That's it for this posting, thank you all for your prayers and best wishes. And remember, to win an all expense paid trip to Belize, enter the raffle at http://www.rotaryclubofplacencia.org/. If you win, you won't regret it, and if you lose, you will support some very worthy efforts.

More postings to come....

Day 17- ' Mexico' day 1

The most amazing thing happened. After a frustrating morning waiting for the broker, and then waiting for the paperwork to be right and god knows what else, since no one spoke fluent English besides myself, they finally rushed me off to the border entrance I was to use. I learned later that they rushed me there without the correct paperwork because the US was going to close the exit I was to use at noon. I{ll write more about the details of that experience, complete with photos, later. What is amazing is that at one of the final stops on the Mexican side, a young fellow driving a big pickup with two large containeers of a chemical in the back, and hauling a trailer with a hay baler and more on the back, came up to me and asked me if I was from Belize. He had seen the Placencia, Belize on the back of my boat. HIs driving situation is nearly the same as mine. Turns out he is from the Mennonite community in Blue Creek, Belize, and is hauling that stuff back. He has done this run a number of times, and didnt mind at all if I followed him. And he speaks Spanish. And he knows where the speed bumps are. And he knows the secure hotels-motels. And the decent food. So Im following him, we are splitting the cost of the room, and I,m learning all about his community. Such good fortune. I type this on a computer in the hotel lobby, so must be brief. I got up at 630 AM, David slept 2 hours last night. So we called it quits early , I had Fajitas con Pollo for dinner, and well get an early start in the morning. I feel blessed.

Brownsville - Day 17

I know many of my friends who are following this story are concerned about my safety in Mexico, and even I am slightly concerned. However, I read the local paper here every day, and if Americans were being assaulted in Mexico, I'm sure it would be well publicized. Today's Brownsville Herald carried an AP story I'll quote in part:

"Washington - The Homeland Security Deparment's attache to Mexico says the violence in Mexico is not as dangerous to tourists as has been portrayed. Speaking to a House Subcommittee on Thursday, Alonzo Pena said the violence is in isolated areas of the country and only affects the people involved in criminal activity. He said the violence is not affecting U.S. citizens visiting Mexico...In February, the State Department advised travelers to avoid areas of prostitution and drug dealing in Mexico."
I suspect the State Department would not advise travelers to visit such areas in any country!

What seems to be going on is that it has become harder for the drug cartels to get drugs into the U.S., demand is down in the U.S. but up in Europe, but the Columbian cartels are working through the mafia and not the Mexicans in that market. So the Mexican cartels are fighting with each other for the shrinking market, and with the increased presence of the Army.

Sometimes it is useful to look for the money - in this case, if politicians make noise about an issue, perhaps more money will flow to an area to fix it. The local politicians here don't see a need for it.

I haven't posted any pictures for a few days, but there really isn't much to see here in the sprawling community. I had expected a Texas version of Portland, but the landscvape is dominated by malls of various sizes and types and chain stores of every type. Here is a photo taken from my door at the Best Western, looking across the parking lot with my truck in the foreground and the boat in the back. Every night there are a few vehicles pulling trailers that park along that central barrier.

The main highway into Brownsville is state Rt 77 and 83. As it comes into the heart of the city it is elevated to cross over major cross streets, and then drops down in between them for exits and entrances. There are one way frontage roads on each side that serve the business the line them. The elevated sections have some graphics in relief that make them more interesting than they might otherwise be. Here's a photo taken from the entrance of the motel, and a closeup.

Tomorrow is the big day. Not sure if I'll have internet service where I stop for the night, but will try to take some photos and will post

Brownsville - day 16

When I went to bed last night I left the AC running in the room, and when I got up this morning it was colder outside than in the room! Mid 50s, with a little off and on drizzle for much of the day.

Spent the morning before the drizzle started reloading the truck - I've lost track of how many times I've done it! Most of the rest of the day was spent working with my GPS Mexican map software trying to locate hotels in urban areas I'll be passing through, and trying to locate those hotels. Not nearly as user friendly as the Delorme software I used on my trip south through the US.

At about 8 PM Alejando Roberts, the broker I am using, came by and we discussed the route I'll take. He offered the services of a rider to accompany me, but said he didn't think I would need it. Said many people drive to Belize over this route, and that I can probably convoy with others. Also suggested using motels in some of the smaller cities/towns along the way to avoid getting tangled in urban traffic, especially with the boat. I'll play it by ear, depending in part on the convoy situation.

In the morning he will take me to Mexico to get my USD converted to Pesos. I will make a 4000 Peso deposit, $272 at the current exchange rate, which will be returned to me when I get to border with Belize. Can expect to pay taxes of $40 -50 USD on the stuff in the truck. He'll give me multiple phone numbers in case of problems, but says he doesn't expect there to be any.

I'm feeling more and more confident that the trip will go smoothly.

In final analysis, I wasted a lot of time working on my route etc that would have been better spent learning Spanish, but am ending the day with greater peace of mind than I when I woke.

Day 15 - Brownsville

Things are looking up. Met with the broker this morning, he did not see an issue with what I wanted to take, on the basis that I am moving to Belize. At worst, I may have to pay Mexican duty on a few things, but that will be cheaper than trying to return to Alabama to ship them. Late this afternoon the broker and a coworker will return and go through everything to make a list in Spanish. So now I have to empty the truck out so I can reload it as they make the list.
A small price to pay.

Day 14 - Brownsville and discouraged

Got in yesterday and tried to track down the customs broker recommended by my Belize customs connection. Not listed, so e-mailed him for more info, not realizing it was a holiday in Belize on Monday. Received e-mail this AM that he had no further info, and to work with any local broker here. Received suggestion from motel desk clerk for someone who does it regularly for folks who stay here. Called him, got his voice mail, and finally when he came back to motel at 3 PM or so, he said he only handled folks taking things into Mexico, not through it. In meanwhile, truck has been in shop all day having the AC fixed at cost of $700. Made phone call to a transmigrante broker who told me I could only take 2 suitcases, no toys, no tools, etc etc, and that I had to have someone ride with me through Mexico @ $600. Went to the web and found some sites I had not found several months ago, including the site of the US Consulate across the border in Matamoros. Their site said no textiles, used tires, tvs, stereos, etc, etc, (including many things I have with me) but also said it changes from time to time and suggested calling. I did, and then had to wait for a call back from an "official". Their site also said not to trust rogue brokers. Official called back eventually and gave me the name and phone of another broker that she said was reliable. I called, three hours ago, and am still waiting for a callback, it's now 8 PM.
I may end up having to drive back to Alabama to set up another pallet to ship with the first two. What I'll have to do depends on my conversation with the broker. I have to get the broker thing going because it takes the US officials 3 days to figure out I haven't stolen my truck, and he/she handles that.
All of this may be God's way of preparing me for life in Central America, perhaps I'll be used to it by the time I get to Belize with my "stuff", but right now, I'm not, and I'm not happy.

Day 13 - Brownsville, TX

Arrived in Brownsville at 2:30 after an easy drive of a few hours across wide open spaces in which plowed fields extended as far as the eye could see. Have three goals: 1 - meet with the customs agent recommended by my Belize customs connection; 2 - get the air conditioning unit in the truck fixed; and 3 - learn Spanish.

Could not find a listing for the agent in the local phone directory, so have sent an e-mail to my Belize connection seeking more info. Still waiting for reply. The AC was fixed last spring by a shop in Portland affiliated with NAPA Auto Parts, and they said the work was guaranteed, and would be backed up by any other NAPA Auto Care shop. I found one 3 miles away, but when I went there it was closed, and the next closest is 20 miles away. Not wanting to go that far, I decided to take it to the Ford dealer about 3 miles away (in another direction). I take it to them at 7:30 tomorrow morning, and they have a shuttle that can take me back to the motel. That's a critical element that must be repaired! At least it has already been converted to the non-freon gas.

Stopped at a K-Mart and bought a couple of coolers and some water and ice tea to get me through Mexico and Belize.

Tonight and tomorrow I'll get into the Rosetta Stone Spanish program, so at least I will know how to pronounce the language. I have two other helps, so hopefully I'll be able to muddle through.

That's it for today - now it's time to learn Spanish!

Day 12 - Corpus Christie, TX

Yesterday was day 11, not day 10! It's so nice not to have to adhere to a timetable! Did a little online research last night, and found that there was a UU church about an hour west of Sulphur in Beamont, TX. Plugged it into my Street Atlas software, and departed Sulphur in time to arrive 15 minutes before their start time at 10:30. Here's a photo of their church:

I knew they were small because the UUA site said they had 17 members. They've lost a few, there were only 9 besides myself, but I appreciated the experience because it was closer to what I will experience in Belize if and when I try to start a fellowship there. The "service" was very loosely based on what appeared to be a small group ministry program called "Evensong". I say loosely, because after some opening words, a doxology, a responsive reading and joys and concerns (at which point a member said there usually weren't any!), it turned into more of a membership committee meeting about how to attract more members. I found this really interesting because they were dealing with the same issues we have at First Parish in Portland (http://www.firstparishportland.org/), and when the discussion centered on what had attracted the existing members, it was deja vu all over again! Social action, the physical property, etc. The worship leader mentioned that only two people showed up at the previous board meeting, which is probably why the service turned into a committee meeting that was leading up to local Earth Day events. A lesson I took from the experience was that my desire for a spiritual experience was unfulfilled on an emotional or intellectual level, and I find that experience central to my personal reason for being in church. Of course, that may not be why the Spindletop 9 go, but it may also be why they are only 9. I need to ponder how to start and nurture a fellowship that will in turn nurture my own spirituality, and attract and retain others who seek the same.

I mentioned at the start of this post that I had plugged their location into my software on my laptop. Here's a picture from the cab of my truck:

My lap top is beside me, and I have a device that plugs into one of the two cigarette lighters that supplies AC to the computer's wires that I normally plug into an electrical outlet. I expect they convert the power back to direct current, but whatever is going on, I can run all day. There is a little yellow GPS receiver on the dashboard that feeds location info to the laptop, which has the Delorme Street Atlas USA software on it, and on which I have plotted my trip. It shows the route, and my progress along it. For the first few days I kept hearing this voice that wasn't coming from the radio, and it turned out to be coming from the laptop telling me about turns, etc. It was very persistent trying to get me back on my planned route when I changed my departure route from Camden, AL, but after a while it figured oiut how I was going and reset the route itself.

On the dashboard, sort of behind the steering wheel is another portable GPS that isn't getting much use now other than telling me my elevation of above sea level. The high point of the trip was about 2900 feet in the mountains of Virginia. When I hit Mexico, I'll plug that GPS into the laptop, and my Mexican roads software will take over. I don't know yet if I can preplan that route with the software. Another gadget you can't see is my Sirius satellite radio receiver, allowing me to listen to several different NPR feeds, although I am finding they repeat quite a bit. That's my black computer bag, sitting on top of one of the boxes. Everything is a bit untidy here, it generally is better at the start of a day.

Today was hard day of driving. The roads from Mobile through Houston have been primarily concrete, which means it has a rough surface causing the trailer to bounce, and therefore the truck bucks and bounces. It is especially true where there is construction, which magnifies the issue with restricted travel lanes. Today as I approached Beaumont I almost lost control when the trailer started bobbing uncontrollably until I braked hard. I was glad when I got on an asphalt surface on rts 59 and 77 south of Houston. Here are photos of the view backwards and forwards as I cross the plains:

One thing I have found interesting is the difference between the cows/beef animals in New England and here. In New England they seem much more sociable - when out in a field they seem to hang out together. Here they are all spread out over wide areas, rarely do you see two animals in proximity.

Tomorrow I arrive in Brownsville, and start dealing with the complications of getting into Mexico.

Day 10 - Sulphur (really!), Louisiana

Left Mobile at about 9 AM this morning after reversing the tires on the trailer so they would wear evenly. Because of the weight, they toe in slightly at the top, meaning they wear more on the inside of the tread. Reducing the pressure has not made a great deal of difference, so I may inflate them some more.

After crossing the border into Mississippi, I left I-10 to follow US 90 that is double lane and runs parallel to the interstate. On the map it looks like it runs along the water, so I thought I might see the results of the post Katrina efforts. Although a 55 mph road for part of the way, it was nothing but commercial development, with no water in sight. On top of that the road was rough. I got back on I-10, and then I-12 which took me through Baton Rouge instead of dropping down to New Orleans.

The road is straight and near level. Since hitting the coastal plain in Alabama, my GPS has been registering my elevation between -8' and 45' below and above sea level (except for bridges). The photo above was taken of a low field, with storm clouds in the north, when I had pulled off the highway briefly. The road passed through lowlands, rice fields with water, and in one section was a 30 mile bridge above wetlands.

I was sort of expecting to get to Texas today, but did not notice that the scale of the Louisiana map in my highway map book was larger than the Alabama maps. By 6:30 I was passing though Lake Charles, which has a name that sounds nice, but is in fact a refinery city. I pulled off in the city of Sulphur, because there were signs for multiple motels. I like to call it quits relatively early (for me) because I want to have dinner at a local restaurant if possible, instead of a chain. I've been starting fairly leisurely in the mornings because I'm not feeling pressure, internally or externally, to be anywhere at a particular time. It makes the drive more pleasant.

2000 miles done, 500 to go to the Mexican border!

Day 10 - Mobile, Alabama

Left picture: truck and boat on side of street, at foot of driveway.

Right picture: looking up driveway at Marian's house from same location as other picture.

Today was the most interesting drive, primarily because I was not on a freeway for a good part of it. Left Marietta at 9 AM, at the tail end of rush hour. After I got out of the Atlanta megalopolis, traffic was light, even on the interstate, and remained light, even through Montgomery. I've been somewhat surprised at the preponderance of softwoods, presumably Southern Yellow Pine. What was disheartening was the massive severe clearcuts that seem to be the standard way of cutting forests. Not surprising that the streams are full of silt. The area southwest of Montgomery was noticably rural - there were few exits off the interstate because there weren't many intersecting roads.

I left I65 at Greenville and headed west on State Rt 10 for Camden. It was a good road, and I was surprised how little traffic there was on it. In the 43 miles to Camden, less than 2 dozen cars passed heading East. More often than not there were abandoned and rundown former corner stores at points where county roads intersected 10. When did they fail?

I wondered what sustained the economy of the area, and then saw more and more small sawmills, and then came upon a big International Paper plant. It was contiguous with a Weyerhauser saw and veneer mill. Also seen, in Georgia and Alabama: a giant Kia auto plant that appeared to be under construction or expansion, and another auto plant - I forget the brand - but both were huge.

Most homes are one story, and fairly small. Passed through a couple of villages that had big older homes, from a bygone era. There weren't enough homes to have neighborhoods, all seemed isolated, except in the villages. Reminded me of some areas of rural Maine, absent town centers.

Met with the folks at MCW shipping, they seem to have cornered the market for getting things to Big Creek, Belize. They are a division of Woodson & Creswell Lumber Co., and I think they are the primary importers of lumber into Belize. They provide a comprehensive service.

From there, and at their suggestion, went west on 10 and picked up US 43 that took me almost to Mobile. It was a 4 lane road with unlimited access, but went through the "real world", unlike the interstates. So why don't I take the side roads all the time? I would, except I think the wear and tear on the trailer would be too much - and it is uncomfortable driving when the trailer is bucking from an uneven surface.

Tomorrow I head west through Mississippi and Louisiana, perhaps getting into Texas. 800 miles to go - which represents about 1/3 of the overall distance to the Mexican border.

Day 9 - Layover in Marietta

I lead this post with a photo of Tony's enterprises in Bull Gap, TN. He probably sold the rights to the Cracker Barrell restaurant chain to have their giant sign looming over his place(s).

Slept in, then did research to find another set of tires for the trailer. I'm concerned about the level of wear, resulting in part from the trailer being a bit overloaded, I believe. Handles ok, but I want to get through Mexico without trying to find trailer tires. Found a trailer company that had what I need, and sister Marian took me there to get them. The person who sold them to me was Mexican, and I asked him about driving in Mexico. He had been a truck driver, strongly recommended using toll roads. After lunch and a few errands, we went back, this time with map in hand, and I talked with him further about specific routes. He was very helpful, warned me about very steep grades on some routes. Told me where to expect road blocks, and when I asked about the need to pay, he said not to do it. I need to get busy on my Spanish via Rosetta Stone, because he said folks will try to take advantage of me if I can't communicate with them.

Tomorrow I head for Camden, Alabama. That's where my two pallets will arrive tomorrow, so we can settle for the cost of getting them to Belize, as well as talk about getting containers of ICF materials and tennis court materials shipped there.

Up to this point, this journey has been mostly through known territory, stopping where I know people, or in between. I'm about half way through the US portion of the trip. Tomorrow I set out into unfamiliar lands, with the next known person about 2500 miles away. It's a bit scary, and there is still a magnet pulling me back to Maine, to the familiar and safe. However, I will keep my wits about me, and keep on keepin on....

Day 8 - Marietta, GA

Bull Gap - Had a late breakfast this morning at the MacDonald's across the road from the Best Western. Fellow sat down nearby and complained that they didn't have country ham, but had Canadian bacon. He should have gone to Tony's. Since I did not have a long drive planned, went back to the room with a large coffee and read the paper - my form of morning meditation - and something I haven't done for a week! Checked out by 11, and then went to the two service stations to get air in one of the trailer tires, but the machines at both were broken. Headed to Tony's tire depot to get air and his take on the wear on the trailer tires. It might have been his son, who had a very strong rural Kentucky accent, who suggested that the wear was a result of over-inflation. So we reduced the inflation to 60 lbs from 90 lbs, and I think he was right. Tony oversaw the whole enterprise, and after some small talk about moving to Belize, he encouraged me to try the restaurant. Promoted the catfish dinner. It's understandable why he's the local magnate! Photo tomorrow.

Then hit the highway, and when I pulled in for coffee and hour or so later discovered that the trailer light wires had been dragging on the pavement, rendering them non-functional. Spent the better part of an hour repairing them so they would work, especially in heavy traffic near Atlanta.

Arrived at sister Marian's home at about 6 PM. Went to a local resturant that offers buffet style dinner to seniors for $6.60 ea. Such a deal! Went from there to a place called Fry's that has every type of electronics at discount prices. Bought a cheap wired phone to try with my magicJack, since my connection last night with Patti with the wireless wasn't so good. Then home for conversation, and now to bed.

Will lay over here until Friday AM so I can see nephew Eric, who could not come tonight. He works tech support for McAfee on a 10PM to 7 AM shift.

Day 7 - Bull Gap, Tennessee

Drove about 475 miles today, down the Shenandoah Valley on I81. After bare ground and open water on farm ponds in Pennsylvania, was surprised at the snow cover and iced over ponds through most of Virginia. Probably due to the storm that passed through the other day. Fortunately there was little wind, and traffic wasn't bad. One semi blew his horn as he passed me - I wondered if the driver saw "Belize" on the stern of the boat and indentified with it...

So far have seen two mammoth WalMart warehouses on this journey, they are huge, with hundreds of trailers parked outside and backed up to the loading doors.

Every time I stop for a break I check the trailer, and today noticed that I was getting a lot of wear on the inside edge of the tires. Really don't want a blowout, even at my slow speed of 55 mph, so pulled off at 6PM at a Best Western just north of Knoxville in Bull Gap. Not much here: Taco Bell, MacDonalds, a DQ, 2 gas stations, and Tony's Bar-B-Que, Wrecker Service, Tire Service and Auto Sales. Tony is a busy man. The address is Speedway Drive, so that might explain the cluster of services that appears to be in the middle of nowhere, as well as the occupants of the restaurant.

When I replaced the axle back in Mass, I bought a second rim and tire, so when I got in I changed both tires. Tomorrow I'll see if Tony can reverse the tires on the rims I just removed, so I get more even wear on them. I've gone 1000 of the 2500 miles in the US, and will have 1300 in Mexico, so I also plan to get another pair of tires when I get to Marietta. I hope that will give me good rubber through to Belize.

It is really beginning to dawn on me how dramatic this change is, and I must admit to pangs of regret about leaving behind my friends and Portland. Of course, when I hear about the 12 inches of snow and 5 degree temps, I feel less regret....

The counter I've added to this page tells me that I have several folks following this adventure, and I will welcome your comments or questions!

Day 6 - layover in Hagerstown

Woke this morning to light snow in the air and blustery winds. Held off on making a decision on resuming travel until check-out time, and then decided to stay. Although the snow didn't amount to much, the winds were very blustery, and blew the truck around on the highway, and that was without the boat and trailer. Because of the truck traffic, I didn't want to risk being blown into the path of a truck (as mentioned earlier - everyone goes faster than I do), so decided to cool my heels for a day. Cool is the operative word - actually cold is more appropriate - and bitterly so!



Visited the office of the company I used to sell for. They originally were the supplier of Har-Tru tennis court surfacing, now just do construction. Learned about a new surface called ClayTech which I recognized immediately as a winner in Belize. Talked to Dick Funkhouser, who owns the local business, and then with the US distributor about representing them in Belize. Turns out there was an installation of this surface done by a Florida contractor within the last few months. Now have brochures, a DVD and a sample of the material to take with me. Had not expected to be in the tennis court business again, but who knows what lies ahead?

Day 5 - Hagerstown, MD

Got up this morning expecting to see snow, but fortunately the snow was a weather channel hype, and it was just overcast. However, I knew from alternate sources that there was snow in the south, so a headed out with the expectation I would run into it at some point. As it turned out, I had sunny skies for part of the way, and the driving was easy. My goal was to get through Pennsylvania on Sunday to avoid the heavy truck and rush hour traffic in the Scranton-Allentown -Harrisburg-Carlisle corridor. By the time I reached Hagerstown it was 4 PM, I was tired, and decided to stop for the night and have the time to read the Sunday NY Times. Tried to reach Dick Funkhouser, who owns a company I represented for 10+ years, but just got his voice mail.



I had been advised by the garage that installed the new axle to check the u-bolts with a 3/4" wrench. Did not happen to have that size, so bought one at Sears. They're good, and so far the truck has been running well and trailer has towed easily. I'm running at 55 on flats and downhill, and slower when climbing, so I think so far I've only passed 5 or 6 vehicles.



Forecast is for blustery winds tomorrow, not good when pulling a trailer, so I'll

Must say that I miss having a pet...